Over the Horizon
by PhoenixDiamond
Summary: Yugi Muto, a newly budded Pokémon Trainer, has left the safe haven of his home Domino City, Kanto to set out on his quest to discover his place in the world. His dreams are as wild & vast as his home region, but his thirst for success leads him as far as the Sinnoh & the Unova Regions. From Sinnoh, he meets an adventurous Pokémon Photographer & a quiet Pokémon Breeder from Unova.
1. A New Arrival

**Title: **Over the Horizon

**Disclaimer: **Kazuki Takahashi and company own Yugioh. Game Freak, Satoshi Tajiri and company own Pokémon. This story is written for fun. Therefore, I own nada and make nada.

**Pairing: **Mobiumshipping

**Warnings: ** Drama. Mild Angst. Possible sexual relations between males. Some demography and geography in the Pokémon themed world information is purposely inaccurate to fit the flow of the plot. No main characters from the Pokémon series will be used. Only the general theme is borrowed.

**Rating: **R or M

**Summary: **Yugi Muto, a newly budded Pokémon Trainer, has left the safe haven of his home Domino City, Kanto to set out on his quest to discover his place in the world. His dreams are as wild and vast as his home region, but his thirst for success leads him as far as the Sinnoh and the Unova Regions. From Sinnoh, he meets anadventurous Pokémon Photographer, and from Unova a withdrawn Pokémon Breeder, both out to fulfill their own agendas.

**Author's Rant: **This story is written based on a flickering plot bunny. The idea has evaded me for several days until I finally managed to construct a somewhat decent formula of what I had in mind. Updates will be sporadic based on whenever I finish a chapter. I guesstimate this story to be 10-15 with short to moderately long chapters. Enjoy!

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**A New Arrival**

* * *

"Guess we'll rest here. What do you think?"

A chirpy bark confirmed that the current location was a perfect place to camp after enduring a grueling twenty-mile journey in the heat. It was a perfect sanctuary to recuperate. Wild open grass fields, eaten low from the herds of grazing Rapidash and young Ponyta frolicking under the watch of their parents. Flocks of Pidgey nitpicked at the grass for any suspecting Weedles.

After securing data of eighteen new species of Pokémon, confronting several in a head-to-head battle and escaping a small hive of Combee in just one day, Yugi Muto was beat. The Sinnoh Region was a world of wondrous discoveries, beauty and modern grace. Yugi couldn't compare his own home, Domino City, Kanto, the much older, sturdier Sinnoh. Grassy meadows stretched for miles with grass as gold and high as a Girafarig's neck.

Not long ago, Yugi and Vulpix managed to catch some fish for their dinner tonight. Now, with a small clearing near and a berry tree in sight, this may end up being another one of those nights they'd be able to sleep on a full stomach. That'd be better than nibbling off herbal weeds and grass blades to prevent hunger from slowing them down. They'd run out of Pokémon food about two days ago.

Besides, a young Pokémon could only live off nature's gifts for so long; especially a house reared Vulpix. Shrugging off his duffle bag, Yugi unzipped the top, scouring through the contents for a bottle of Max Repel and his ceramic bowl. He sprayed around the perimeter and over his duffle bag. Any wild Pokémon getting too close would likely sniff out the nasty odors and head off in another direction.

In some ways, though he enjoyed the life of being on his own at sixteen, venturing every day to find different species of Pokémon, Yugi loved learning of the Pokémon Employments out there. He'd seen so many and taken notes from dozens of experts. Pokémon Breeders, Specialty Type Trainers, Pokémon Herders, Pokémon Doctors and Nurses, Pokémon Day Care Givers, Regional Professors, Coordinators, and so far, his current favorite, Pokémon Ranger. By eighteen, he hoped to realize his true calling, but for now, he had plans to learn as much as he could about all the regions of Pokémon. Having full knowledge of all species out there would further enhance his ability to adjust to the needs of every type, breed, and gender.

Yugi smiled down at Vulpix as she excitedly inspected a twitching grass blade with her paw. "I'm gonna head on up," he said, gesturing toward a lopsided tree. "Don't wander off, OK?"

A happy squeak said she heard, but kept her attention on the dancing grass. Yugi climbed up, digging his brown hiker boots into the thick bark. He bypassed two long branches to straddle a wider one with bustles of Salac Berries. He started snapping twigs and plucking off the green orbs, careful not to squeeze the spiny skin.

Finally, he could enjoy the peace and quiet. Another day, another set of uneventful few hours spent. How long had it been since he left Domino Town? Eight? Nine? Ten months now? Maybe if he squinted hard enough Yugi could imagine seeing the dark line of buildings rising and falling against the backdrop of the sky.

The herd of Rapidash and Ponyta roamed across the neighboring grass plains; diamond hooves thundering into the earth as they stampeded to another area to feed. Yugi smiled again and sighed as he reached overhead to pluck more ripen fruit from the Salac Tree. The freshly ripen berries were swelled and bright as party balloons; green spiny fruit bits half the size of his finger.

The early evening crept in, forging a burnishing sheet of rich crimson, brilliant apricot and sultry pinks along the horizon. The sweet summer air is springy and very humid from yesterday's rains.

This edge of the forest isn't as populated. Yugi was grateful. An hour ago, he had a run in with a horde of Murkrow nesting in the branches of another forest he'd tried to settle in. He shouldn't have been surprised at the sudden onslaught of dark birds. It was growing dark, their time to start hunting for prey. With the branch above his head picked clean, Yugi inched forward to another brimming with berries and started to fill the upper half of his bowl. Dinner tonight was going to be a repeat of the previous ones; fish roasted over an open fire and a bowl of fruit. Not exactly appetizing, but it sure beat going without a meal at all.

"There." Yugi's voice was soft and pleased as he palmed one more handful into the bowl. It was overflowing, a few tumbling over the edge and bouncing off to the ground below. Gazing over, Yugi smiled down and present his bounty to his companion. "How's this? Think this'll tie us off until breakfast tomorrow?"

A high-pitched bark replied immediately. Little Vulpix piped up and braced up against the tree, six tails curling and uncurling. She spun in a circle and began clawing at the tree bark.

Yugi laughed. "Hold on, love, I'm coming." Her impatience unfortunately is a trait he instilled in her personality by mistake. It couldn't be helped. Ever since he received her from a litter of Vulpix born from a breeding Ninetails—courtesy of his town's professional breeder and distributor of companion Pokémon—Yugi has spoiled her rotten. Could anyone blame him?

Just look at her.

Vulpix touched him in a way that no other Pokémon could. Her glossy red fur, chocolate brown paws, peppy personality and desire to always please her trainer, just brought out the need to treat her like a princess. And those big green eyes were soul sealing and hypnotic, able to bewitch the hardest soul into becoming as soft as a Mareep's wool.

Yugi wiggled backwards against the tree, using one hand to hold the bowl against his chest and the other to find bearing to climb down. Carefully, he bent his legs and swung around. Holding onto the tree's round trunk, Yugi held his breath and made the fast jump down. He landed on his feet, feeling a slight twinge in his left ankle, but shook it off.

He plopped down on the ground, blowing out a short breath. It'd been over an hour now of just gathering berries. His crotch felt like it'd been kicked in.

Vulpix pranced over, bumping her curly haired head into his elbow, chirping delighted to have her trainer back and at the prospect to getting a meal.

"I hear ya. It's coming." Yugi scratched the top of her head before scooping out a handful of berries and dropping them on the ground. "Here, you've earned it."

Vulpix pounced on the offering, kicking up dirt and grass in her haste. Three tails wagged, while the other four lazily wavered in the air, expressing contentment and pure satisfaction.

"Easy," chuckled Yugi. "We've got plenty. Gotta save room for the fish, remember?"

Whether she heard him or not, Yugi had no clue. Her head stayed bowed, shaking from side to side and her paws were slapping the ground for whatever berries attempted to escape.

Yugi closed his eyes as he cupped his third scoop of Salac Berries into his mouth. His tongue captured the sweet nectarous juices as they threatened to leak from the corner of his mouth. He concealed a smile from the satisfied purrs resonating by his thigh. Sucking the sticky juices from his fingers before they left a nasty stain, Yugi reached inside his green and yellow ceramic and passed his companion another helping. She eagerly leapt at the rolling berry balls before they could escape her paws.

The pair finished most of the berry supply in no time. Vulpix managed to get more of the syrupy nectar all over her muzzle then in her jaws. The three thick curls on her head were spiked in every direction, congealed in a distorted fashion.

Yugi rolled his eyes and leaned over to dry and wipe off the residue, but to no avail. His help only made it worst.

"Ah geez and I just gave you a bath this morning."

Vulpix looked at him, blinking big innocent eyes.

Yugi frowned. "Don't gimme that look. It's your own fault. You're going to bed that way. The seashore's about an hour walk from here and we need the canteen water to keep us going until the next town."

A quiet blend of purrs and growls answered to Yugi's proclamation. He shrugged. She hated going to bed filthy.

"Anyway, let's eat the fish before it spoils. It's a long walk to Sunyshore City and from there, we head to Unova." Yugi reached behind him to fetch his black duffle bag. The fish gave off a raunchy odor as soon as he unzipped the bag.

Stupid idea to keep it in there. Yugi swatted at his nose as rafts of drying fish erupted in the air. He held the catch at arm's length, examining the firm gray scales, clear eyes and pink gills. One thing he was relieved to remember were lessons from his grandpa about how to determine the overall health condition of his meals in the wilderness. What mushrooms to eat, herbs to nibble, small prey to catch and what wasn't poison were all firmly implanted in his brain.

Yugi poked it, sniffed and nodded. The fish did give off a slight smell, but it should be fine to eat. He climbed to his feet, laying the fish and berries on top of the rock. By now, the Max Repel had worn off. The fish's scent would travel for miles for the Pokémon would with the intense sense of smell. Using too much of the Repel would mean having less for future travels.

And Yugi hadn't the money to keep a steady supply. "Vulpix, give the area a sniff. See if there are any other Pokémon around."

Vulpix yelped, bouncing up to her fours and started sniffing the air, bumping her nose to the ground and turning all around. A couple of moments she went still, frozen with her left paw up and eyes peeled to a particular spot. She did this several times more before strutting up to Yugi and yipping.

"Nothing?"

Another yip.

Good. If there weren't any around, he could stand to leave his things here for a quick moment and fetch some firewood. Yugi gave a visual glance around the campsite near the tree and boulder before deeming it safe enough to climb up the tree again and gather some branches. He snapped off a few twigs, reaching for the driest ones and knocking a few extra berries on the ground for Vulpix to snack on.

The sky was as pitch as a Gastly's NightShade. Yugi broke off another twig and suddenly felt uneasy. Some leaves broke off, dancing in the light breeze. A sixth sense for danger if you would. His stomach felt queasy, his nerves troubled. Checking over the thick branch he was saddled on, Yugi noticed Vulpix pacing in front of a bush several feet away.

Sudden rustles disturbed the leaves. Vulpix darted backwards, fur surging disorderly on her back and all of her red tails unraveling. She bared her teeth, snarling and scratching at the dirt. It could be anything.

Yugi wished he hadn't been so careless. Just because they hadn't detected a Pokémon nearby didn't mean one wouldn't suddenly pop up. It could have concealed it's presence by any means.

The grass plains were dangerous to be near at night, but Yugi preferred knowing the danger had no way to disguise itself. This left him with the advantage to attack first. However, that still left the edge of the forest, where the trees and tall grasses were plentiful and lush.

Digging into his pocket, Yugi wrapped his fingers around a small Repel bottle, prepared to ward off whatever creature emerged.

Whatever it was had Vulpix on edge, her nerves rattled. Yugi jumped down, ignoring the sudden shock of pain in his ankle. A slight roll confirmed his fears. It twisted from the last tumble. Yugi tilted it back, balancing gently on the tip of his foot, the only way he knew to relieve putting extra weight on it.

Looking nervously at the brush and where his duffle laid hidden behind the boulder, a quick guesstimate made Yugi realize that he'd have no time to make a quick dash to it without startling the creature. He needed to force it out on his terms, not its own. The aliment of surprise would work in his favor.

"Come out of hiding!" He shouted, Vulpix's motorized growling enforcing his demand. "We know you're there!"

Route 222 entirety had a variety of dangerous Pokémon. Luxio caring for their young in prides with Luxrays as the pride leaders. Floatzel's had a terrible habit of sneaking up on trainers, stealing their foods and running off, sometimes attacking with water gun. Worst yet, an Electabuzz could be running loose. Reports of several being spotted in the area were mentioned on the news on Yugi's Poketech.

_Electabuzz. . . right. _

"Damn," he silently cursed to himself, fishing the Repel out. If it was an Electabuzz, with their nationally known aggressive natures, there will be a heated battle. And that was one Yugi couldn't risk putting Vulpix in. She was still far too young to go against the Pokémon in this area. Their experience far outmatched hers.

Leaves swished violently and a sudden bubbling snarl shouted out. Shivers snuck up his spine; the sound was so gut clenching. It was large, heavy. The rattling sticks and sounds echoed louder. Vulpix's lips pulled back over her fangs as she sneered and erected short white claws from her paws. She cocked back, hind legs bent and red tails sprayed open. She was ready for combat.

Yugi nodded. He understood. As far as flight or flight, they'll stand and fight. Tucking the bottle in his pocket, Yugi took position by Vulpix and poked. "Vulpix use _Roar!_ Flush it out!"

Cocking her head back, Vulpix's jaws clamped down, and chest expanding as if she inhaled helium. Snapping forward, Vulpix unhinged her jaws and let off a thunderous boom. The crackling noise exploded like underground gauzier. Nests of roasting Chatot and Pidgey scattered from the tree canopies to escape the sound waves.

Clouds of dirt, rocks and sticks powdered the air, fogging the clearing.

Seconds, then minutes passed. No sounds came after the dust and debris settled. Yugi relaxed his shoulders and unclenched his fists. Maybe whatever it was got spooked. He could only hope that were the case.

He had the right mind to think that it escaped until he noticed Vulpix's hairs standing on end, fangs still grinding.

Therefore, it was a lot stronger than they were. Way stronger. Yugi grimly knew what had to be done and kneeled down, angling his arm downward. "Climb on," he ordered.

Vulpix hesitated, sniffing the air.

"Come on," Yugi impatiently urged. "There's no time. " Vulpix whimpered before backing up a step and climbing up Yugi's arm. She sat on his shoulder and together they looked on at the consistent disturbance in the brush. Deep-throated growls warningly aroused from the bushes. Staying on the ground would be a liability. Getting to higher grounds was their only solution.

Yugi kept his gaze on the bushes as he took slow steps back towards the tree; though as he did, the sharp sting in his ankle reminded him there'd be no way he'd make the climb up. He pitched forward from the pain, balancing down on his good foot.

Sweat perspired on his brow, his blood ran hot, ran cold. Air escaped faster his lungs than it let in. Fight or flight. Stand firm or flee. Protect Vulpix. Distract the danger. Yugi's mind raced with so many solutions, but there was no action.

His back framed the tree, bark digging through his white and red rimmed t-shirt. His black cargo pants had several items: Max Repels, his pocketknife, some potions, and a couple of extra healers in case Vulpix was ever poisoned or worse. A pocketknife would do little damage against anything other than a Normal type.

_Think Yugi, think, think, think. _

It was then that Yugi paused, his eyes settling on the bushes as if he could see straight through. It came out, a burst of brilliant yellow, jazzed black strikes and the cackle of electricity sparking. Yugi was so full of frightened awe, he didn't notice the sudden golden streaks of Thunderbolt weaving between the roots and soil before it snapped at his feet from the Pokemon's antenna.

He barely had time to tip toe back and shield Vulpix from the excess trickle of dancing electricity. However, it was as Yugi did that he realized that the tree was the wall blocking any possible getaway. _Too close_, he thought frantically, as a second wave of wild static ripped through the earth.

The rustling erupted, sticks snapping, rocks crushing under heavy pressure. Yugi turned his head away from the beast's appearance, afraid to see it bushwhacked its way through, snarling from its nostrils. It was big, angry, and out for blood.

_No escape. Save yourself. Run. Get Vulpix out of the way. _

The thoughts were instinctive, rapid, flashing through his head in the instant that another wild attack hurtled toward out of the darkness in mid-air. Up, down, zig zagged, everywhere but all in one direction. Yugi knew that there was no other choice. He closed his eyes as a lifetime of memories burned out into clear, steely resolve.

Only one of them really mattered.

_It was nice while it lasted._

Yugi opened his eyes.

Twisting in a move fast enough to impress Professor Hawkins, Yugi shrugged Vulpix off his shoulder and threw her up, as hard as he could. Tossed high in the air, Vulpix shrieked back against the backdrop and fell on the branch, safe.

Then Yugi turned around, wide-eyed at the snaking streams of Thunderbolt, untamed, and killer, determined for the destruction. It was too fast for dodging, for thought, for anything other than acknowledging the pain to come. Electabuzz roared, flailing bulky arms, and charging, sending bolt after fat bolt of wild power.

Somewhere in the distance, so far off as if through a clogged tunnel, Yugi heard Vulpix's wails, her desperate cries.

And Yugi saw a dark distortion dart in the midst of all gold. Or was that from the speckles of agony staggering through his bones from the network of bolts hitting him? His mind, perhaps, preferred to play tricks on him now. It was better this way. At least when he died from the shocks he wouldn't remember.

A dull roar, wounded growls, a spasm and—words? Someone shouting. Yugi's vision failed him, unable to fully center on the swishing black figure swallowing fractions of the golden chaos. Wetness spattered Yugi's cheek and his ears numbed from the horrible sound of pain, but still all he saw was black, darkness.

Paralyzed and unable to move, his joints locked in the oddest angles, spasming out of control as if to try to channel the network of currents racing throughout his nervous system. His legs gave out first, gravity tugging down hard. Yugi prepared himself for the rough connection with the earth.

It took so long to happen. Did he hit the ground yet? For a long time he waited for the smack of rocks and dirt to hit his face. It wouldn't come, no matter how much he made himself ready for the inevitable.

He opened his eyes a bit to figure out why he felt light as Altaria feathers and realized he was hovering. No feet or hands touching the ground. So, that's it then. He'd died after all. What a terrible way to go.

A blinding dizziness suddenly struck the back of his neck. Yugi whined breathlessly, bile threatening to build in his throat and choke him. Everything seemed to turn white, grey and black at once. All the blood was rushing to his head in this angle, lifelessly dangling. A tightness enveloped him soon. Arms like woven quilts were around him, firm and secure.

"He's paralyzed," a deep smoky voice diagnosed.

Well, that explained a lot. Yugi would have to remember to thank _Jesus_ for stating the obvious.

Yugi or perhaps the person/thing holding him wobbled back and forth without warning.

"Easy, Jack, steady." A long-winded sigh brushed the baby hairs sheltering Yugi's ears. "I think he'll be fine. He took some direct hits. Crazy kid, taking a Thundershock straight on like that." A small chuckle. "Brave and stupid. Cute too, but stupid. Saddle up, Jack. We're bunking here tonight."

There was a low bark and movement under Yugi's legs—what? Hold on.

His twitching fingers skimmed layers of shaggy fur. Subconsciously, he gradually became aware that he was straddling some huge Pokémon, but what kind he wasn't certain. Its growls weren't distinguishable. Wherever he touched the fur, fleshy, hard muscle beneath the furry layer flexed and quivered as if to banish off fleas.

A vibration ran through Yugi as he tried lifted his head. Numbness soaked deep into his muscles tenors. That's a good sign. Maybe the Thundershocks hadn't made a direct strike. There'd be no way to move a single muscle or notice the gentle propping fingers curling under his chin and stroking his cheek.

"Such a pretty face. Hm." Some shifting around and the unmistakable sound of a blooming pokeball, alerted Yugi that his hero was about to make a summoning. The ball popped into the air, snapping open. A radiant shot of white energy unleashed as the tunes of a freshly summoned Pokémon took shape.

Out of the corner of his eye, the new creature was an indescribable blur in the cloak of night. Its glowing green eyes, sharply almond shaped, beaming and close, paralyzed Yugi all over again.

"Lady, scout ahead for that Electabuzz. Make sure it's out of this territory before we settle in."

The new Pokémon, Lady as it was named, nuzzled where the person's leg parallel Yugi's and purred obediently before dashing off into the distance.

The tiny struggles to regain his energy eventually worn Yugi down to the brink of shutting off entirely. He tried to stay awake, to find a way to focus on his surroundings or listen for Vulpix's cries.

It was a losing battle. His eyelids felt as heavy as a Golem's shell. No way was he going to be able to thank his hero or make sure Vulpix wasn't harmed. Not now away. Maybe when he woke up, but he was just too sleepy. . .

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**TBC: Anyone wanna take a guess as to who the two Pokémon, Jack and Lady are? Quick hint: One is native to the Unova Region and the other is from the Hoenn Region. ^_^**


	2. Introductions

**Author's Rant: **Thanks for hoping aboard this next journey guys. Great guesses. Let's find out. Enjoy!

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**Introductions**

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Strange . . . he smelt something. _Salt?_ Lots of sea salt and sweet grass tickling his nose.

As the sliver of sunlight traced along the horizon, a slight stir coaxed Yugi's eyes open. It took a few moments to adjust to the assaulting sunlight beaming in his face, orange and sparkly. Yugi stretched out a hand and flinched back as the muscles under his armpit protested. He was still dizzy from sleep as if waking from a sedated state after a Poison Sting purge.

The sun didn't hurt his eyes as much when he leaned back he noticed. He did just that and stared up through the sprinkling openings in the lush canopy. Nests of Staravia and Starly chicks sweetly alerted the rest of the world to the early morning. Yugi shifted to brush away a small pebble pinching his behind and relaxed.

Where was he now? The last thing he remembered—he closed his eyes. God there'd been so much happening at once. The Electabuzz charging . . . saving Vulpix . . . a streak of blackness . . . a voice . . . then nothing. Only distorted images spotted here and there, none of it solid, all of it swimming and fuzzy. Trying to envision the jumbled memories only brought pounding headaches.

Yugi groaned and shut his eyes tight. Damn these headaches were hurting something fierce. He gritted his teeth and made to stand, but when the world spun off its axis, he thought against it. Then, he decided what better way to spend his downtime by looking around.

The sounds of water washing along the shore and rustles of grass resounded more clearly. The shoreline to a long stretch of ocean reflected like molten silver, clumps of white clouds drifted in the soft breeze like traveling Hoppip. Pleasant air wafted over the sea, ruffling up cerulean waves and combing folds of sand along the ground.

As the winds subdued warm humidity swooped in like a Pidgeot. The sky was this perfect tropical blue shade. No danger, no threats in sight. Not even his little companion. Yugi shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Vulpix!" Bad idea. Screaming is a bad idea. His hands went to cradle the thumping crashing around in his head. "Ugh, God."

"I could've told you that'd happen," a deep voice mused, making Yugi cringe and grind his teeth together.

He didn't find his situation peculiar funny and lifted his head to let off a few choice words, but forgot how to speak upon laying eyes on him.

Straddled on the back of a shaggy black and grey Pokémon was who Yugi hoped had been his savior. Both the Pokémon and owner were unique specimen to behold. The way his legs grazed the grass suggested a decent height, 5'6 or 5'7 and had a radical hairstyle flared in enough directions to confuse a compass. The style alone would draw attention from anyone, but the bright crimson, jet black and sunflower yellow blending added this certain zest to his handsome face. He had a dark orange scarf tied around his forehead, a brown vest over a grey t-shirt and black cargo shorts with white tennis shoes. His wrists had mismatch black and orange wristbands. Tube socks were tugged up high to his knees the same shade of orange. His body was muscular, but lean and toned. Moreover, what a wonderful smile he wore to brighten those russet eyes.

Yugi blinked stupidly when a large black nose pushed into his face. He shrieked, backpedaling against the street until he climbed to his feet.

"Relax," the stranger chuckled. "Jack's big, but I swear it's all for show. He's really a big baby."

The Pokémon barked—which was one of the deepest Yugi had ever heard—and strutted up closer, bowing its massive head. Yugi straightened, though felt cautious. He carefully held out his hand under the Pokémon's nose. It sniffed and licked.

Yugi's shoulders slumped in relief. "What kind of Pokémon is it?" He asked while reaching for his Pokédex in his back pocket.

He patted around his pants, checking each pocket and inside his shirt. Worried, he started checking around the tree, glancing between the roots and in the bushes.

"Looking for this?"

Yugi stopped his search. There in the stranger's hand was none other than his red Pokédex. Yugi laid a hand over his chest. "Thanks for finding it." He reached out to take it.

The guy held it out of reach. Yugi frowned. He tried again only to have the same thing happen. Again and again, the stranger stretched his arm above his head with a grin split across his face.

"Do you mind?" Yugi huffed. "It's mine. Give it back!"

"Name."

"What?"

The stranger lowered the device and tossed it to his other hand as he used the other to grab the Pokémon's scruff and leap off the side. "I said name. Tell me your name and I'll give it back."

Yugi folded his arms. "That's personal information. Tell me your name first."

"You don't have anything to bargain for it."

Yugi caught the bemused wink from the stranger and the playful glint in his eyes. He seemed harmless enough. In this day and age, it was a little easy to distinguish the nut jobs from the idiots and the genuinely decent people. Criminals all followed the same dumb code; wear a tacky outfit, have an even tackier team name and cause mischief everywhere you went. This guy didn't fit the bill to any of those descriptions.

Still, Yugi inspected the guy, walking up to him, tilting his head to the side. He circled around him, tapping his chin in thought. No guns, no strange devices with status control. Besides that seductive smile, he didn't seem so bad. Yugi stopped in front of the guy again and made a thinking noise in the back of his throat.

The stranger's grin never faltered. "Did I pass the test? Or do you want to frisk me too? I don't mind." Then the stranger proceeded to spread out his arms and legs. "Promise to be gentle. I'm delicate."

Yugi couldn't help chortling at the humorous fellow. Even his big Pokémon startled cackling. Shaking his head, Yugi cupped his elbows and said. "The name's Yugi Muto."

"Yugi, huh? Cute." The stranger reached out and put his hand over Yugi's to coax the teen's hand out for a shake. Now, he could pause to enjoy the contact, the slight dryness and warmth to follow. Yugi caved in to accept the polite gesture.

He got a pleasant surprise when the stranger covered Yugi's hand with both of his, and bent to kiss his wrist. Well, someone had more natural Charm than a Jigglypuff. Lightning-like warmth coursed up Yugi's arm and onto his face, heating up his cheeks a rosy pink. Yugi shyly withdrew his hand and gave the stranger his first true smile.

Yami bent at the waist, dramatically sweeping out his arm. "My name is Yami Fujimoto, Pokémon Photographer and Traveler of the Sinnoh Region, and," he smiled in an almost guilty fashion as he righted himself and retrieved a large black PowerPRO camera, "an appreciator of beauty and I dare say, Yugi, a moment captured by me would be the greatest honor."

Yugi shuddered and opened his mouth to say something, anything at all, but the Butter free fluttering in his belly got a kick out of flying into his throat. He was astounded. Yami's smirk widened as he leaned in closer, his warm breath tickling he baby hairs near Yugi's ear.

"You don't have to worry. I promise I won't bite."

Yugi pursed his lips together, feeling stupid. "You're not that cute."

"Oh, now I'm hurt."

The Pokémon called Jack started yipping all of a sudden, slapping his paws on the ground. Yugi decided he liked the big guy already.

"Hey you, shut up." Yami snapped and sighed, handing over Yugi's Pokédex.

Yugi typed in his passcode. The metal lid slowly opened and power surged into the device, brightening the screen. Yugi aimed the gadget towards the Pokémon, waiting until a depiction flashed up with the automatic description.

_***Mightyena:**__ The 'Bite' Pokémon and the evolved form of Poochyana. Mightyena travel and act as a pack in the wild. The memory of its life in the wild compels the Pokémon to obey only those Trainers that it recognizes to possess superior skill._

"Wow, Mightyena, huh. I've never seen one up close." Another strange fact was the other facts. Yugi tilted his head to the other side, looking from the picture on his Pokémon and the real one before him. "Umm, is he supposed to be this big?"

"Nope, Jack's one of a kind." Yugi could hear the affectionate care in Yami's voice when he reached out to pet the big beast's head. "I found him as a puppy, the smallest of a litter outside my town. The mother shunned him because of his size. No mother Mightyena will raise a runt over the bigger ones , so she left him in the grass fields to fend for himself. Half the town could hear him crying. I took him in and the rest is history. We're always together."

Jack yipped, nuzzling his crown into Yami's hand. Seeing their loving relationship suddenly set Yugi in panic. He began looking on the ground and behind him, up in the tree and behind Yami.

"Relax, she's fine," Yami answered, reading Yugi's worried expression. "Though I was wondering when you'd ask where she was, Pixie's down by the shoreline with Lady."

"Lady? Pixie?"

"Oh, right," Yami scratched behind his head sheepishly. "Guess you haven't met yet. They'll be back soon. I didn't want Pixie—"

"Who is Pixie?"

Yami blinked. "Ah, Vulpix. I haven't seen one around here in years. Most migrated to the Kato Region—"

"But where did you get Pixie? I never intended to give her a nickname."

"It seems so old fashion to call a Pokémon by their real name. Hell, it's all they know. I think it adds a little more individuality. So, I call her Pixie. She's a feisty little thing too. She spent most of last night. It took me about an hour to bandage her paws because she kept trying to bite my hand—"

"Why did you need to bandage her paws? Is she OK? What happened to her?"

"Easy, calm down." Yami cupped a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Her paws were scorched from the Thundershocks, but it's nothing serious. I had Lady escort her around the shoreline to give her a bit of exercise. Staying around here is only going to add to her anxiety."

Yugi tried to convince himself that Yami had his and Pixie—Vulpix, her name is Vulpix—interests at heart, but she is his responsibility. He took care of her since birth, raised her, bathed her, kept her feed. She's still so young and to be out gallivanting with some strange Pokémon she didn't know. How could he not worry?

"Are you sure she'll come back safe?" Yugi couldn't help asking.

Yami's face fixed into a deep, determined frown, a whole switch from the carefree person he was before. "You have my word, Yugi. Lady's stubborn, but a tough girl. She's wandered off on her own hundreds of times and always comes back fine."

Yugi's gaze never left Yami's as if he tried to dig out any misconceptions. Yami's confidence in this _Lady_ Pokémon calmed Yugi's concerns a smidge, but he would feel comfortable seeing Vulpix for himself. He enfolded his arms around his upper torso and finally looked away. The swift oceanic breezes overwhelmed Yugi's senses. Inhaling, he released the pent up stress and gazed out over the ocean.

"Where are we?"

Yami joined in watching the peaceful scenery. "This is the shoreline alone Route 222. Sunyshore is about a three mile walk towards the east." Yami gave Yugi a tolerant glance. "You're not from around are you? Your Pokédex model isn't like those used in Sinnoh and, you should've checked your Pokétech. Officer Mai sent out an alert to everyone in the surrounding area to avoid coming out here for the next couple of days. That Electabuzz was seen wandering the countryside in a raging fit. You were the third trainer to get attacked."

"If I'd known I definitely wouldn't have made camp there." Now Yugi wish he had paid more attention with the news. He'd only ever checked it to see if his Grandpa called. "I'm from Domino Town, Kanto. Not too far from New Pallet Town."

"Ah, the Town of Gamers."

"You've been there?" Yugi asked, chest swelling with pride. "Professor Pegasus came from there you know."

"Who doesn't know? The man's a genius. He made it possible for every model Pokédex to get upgraded."

Some leaves rippled behind them without warning. Yugi lost his heart and his breath at the same time, subconsciously aware he was inching closer to Yami. The older teen wrapped his arm around Yugi's shoulder, and squeezed a bit to keep the younger teen from shrugging free. Yugi gave Yami a strange look, which Yami returned with a reassuring smile.

Vulpix emerged out of the brush, rubbing her paws over her muddy face and screwing up her nose as she impatiently whimpered. Her reddish fur was a matted ruin, but as Yugi looked closer, he counted so many thorns prickling her body. All six tails were no more than tangled clumps. She was a wreck, but Yugi could breathe easy. At least she was OK.

Yugi rubbed at his sleeves before kneeling to one knee. "Vulpix, come here baby."

Then Vulpix looked up and finally saw Yugi and her currently dirty face flaked away more dirt as she barked happily and bound into his open arms.

"See, no harm. I told you Lady would take care of her."

Yugi gaped at Yami, while he passed was signature wink, looking quite pleased.

Yugi stood with Vulpix in his arms, feeling the wet stickiness cling to his shirt. "Safe, but filthy. We need to get to a Pokémon Center. Is there one near here?"

"Not until Sunyshore. If we left this afternoon, we can make it there by this early evening."

The same set of bushes shook before another Pokémon appeared, one Yugi had never seen in his life, not even in his history books. It was the most exotic creature he'd ever seen, slender trim quadruped with a gorgeous gold speckled coat and plum background. Its long tail lazily swayed in the air, casting sharp scrutinizing green eyes at Yugi. He couldn't be afraid of this beautiful Pokémon if it bared its fangs and claws.

When Yugi started aiming his Pokédex toward it, Yami's voice cut through his captivation.

"Don't bother. If your Pokédex is only updated to the Sinnoh Region, you won't find her." Yami cockily folded his arms. "She's from the Unova Region. Here." He pulled out his own device, a custom black plated Pokédex and the national bronze Sinnoh emblem. It slid open, blue screen blinking to life.

_***Liepard:**__ The 'Cruel' Pokémon and the evolved form of Purrloin. Stealthily, it sneaks up on its target, striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react. Their beautiful form comes from the muscles they have developed. Many Trainers are drawn to their beautiful form and fur._

Yami stepped forward and held his hand out, a wordless gesture she instantly obeyed, daintily walking as any queen would. She delicately stiffened her front paws and bent her rear down in an elegant sit. "My precious diva," Yami affectionate mumbled, scratching behind her wide ears. "Lady meet Yugi. Yugi meet Lady my charming Liepard."

"Liepard," Yugi repeated, tracing the word with much interest. "She's dazzling."

"Dazzling? Hm, that's new. Most say she's beautiful, elegant, graceful, and charming, but dazzling?" Yami hummed, his tone a soft and wondering sound.

"Well, she is. I'm sure she hears this often, but she's deserving of the praise." Yugi hugged Vulpix to his chest. "May I touch her?"

Yami shrugged. "If she allows it. Lady's horrible towards strangers. She's taken a liking to Little Pixie. So," he stepped away.

Guess that was Yugi's cue to give it a shot. Lady rose to her fours, and flexed her spine. Yugi didn't know how to interpret her body language. It's been a long time since he introduced himself to another trainer's Pokémon, but after the Electabuzz . . . well, Yugi still felt the stings from it's attack climbing up his spine.

Lady unhinged her jaws to yawn, shaking her head. She looked bored and considered Yugi with mild tolerance.

A corner of his mouth twitched up in a nervous smile. Yugi carefully shifted Vulpix into his arm and stretched out his other with fingers cupped, presenting no threat, letting it hover a foot away from her short muzzle. Lady paid close attention then, leaning in and sniffing. Her whiskers wiggled and then she snapped her head back, lips pulling off her fangs in a fast hiss.

Yugi snatched his hand back.

"None of that, Lady," Yami said, authority seeping in his voice. He walked between Yugi and her as she hunkered down, still hissing. "Behave yourself!"

"It's alright." Yugi touched Yami's back. "I would've been worried if she liked me right away."

"Yes, well, she's harmless enough, not as tame as Jack, but all the same, she's gotten me out of a few scraps."

Speaking of Jack. Yugi looked behind Lady to see Jack settled beneath the shade of the tree, curled up napping. He smiled softly at the sight of the gentle giant. Lady's unsettling hisses disturbed Yugi a bit, but not so much to where he didn't feel safe around her.

Yugi cleared his throat. "So, Unova?" Yami turned around lifting an eyebrow. "I'm going there you see. Do you have, um, any advice about what to expect?"

"Just one." Yami turned around fully, presented a huge smile and leaned forward, close enough to Eskimo Kiss. "Don't try to catch every new Pokémon you see. I know when I went my first time I ran out of Pokéballs within the hour." Yami threw his head back, cackling. "I was such a big kid last year. Seriously, I think I caught fifty Pidove and sent them to my parent's house."

"Pidove?"

Yami stopped laughing and blink surprised. "Right," he scratched his hair and shrugged. "Well, I guess it'd be better to show you. Let's grab a seat." Yami motioned for Yugi to follow him next to the tree. He patted his knee and right away, Vulpix switched to his lap. "Why don't you and Lady play while your daddy and I chat, sweetheart?" He curled his finger under her chin.

Yugi has never heard her purr so hard nor grow so close to anyone besides him. Vulpix circled around in his lap, yipping content with the pleasurable touches. Yugi had to shake his head at the effects Yami seemed to have on Pokémon or rather the female half.

Lady nipped the end of Vulpix's third tail while she wasn't looking and dodged away. Vulpix serenely ignored her, only peeking around to see what teased her tail before panting up at Yami's shiny face. Lady dared to crept up a second time, tail swishing silently, eyes focused. She rolled her shoulders, hunched forward and just as she made to leap, Jack tackled her and they were tumbling on the ground, fur flying.

Yugi hadn't noticed the big guy had woken up as he gasped at Jack's sleeping space and to where he was currently faking charges at Lady, taunting her with fake jumps and tail wags. The excitement became more appealing than Yami's gentle strokes and Vulpix joined in the rough play. Lady broke away and lead the two toward the shoreline.

The pair of trainers supervised from under the tree. Up until the early afternoon, Yami used all the time he could to teach Yugi about the different towns and cities, the adventures he'd had, which gym leaders he challenged and how after beating them all found his passion being behind the lens than being in front of it.

He adjusted his orange scarf after catching his breath and sunk down into the grass, folding his arms behind his head.

Yugi pulled one knee up to his chest and bent the other. "I don't think I could do all of those things if I had a lifetime to do it. It all sounds so exciting. I can't wait to go."

"Me either. I'm expected there by next week by some old friends."

They grew silent, falling deep into a cozy, moment, absorbing the peace and tranquility. Yugi found talking to Yami as easy as talking to Vulpix, only Yami had the ability to talk back instead of just saying his name. Yugi couldn't explain, but it just felt nice to converse with another human again.

"You know," Yami started, "I've been thinking. Since we're heading in the same direction, why not stay together?"

"Huh?" Yugi glanced over because his mind had been going down that route. "You wouldn't mind?"

"'Course not. My Pokémon can learn how to interact with another trainer and I wouldn't mind having a cute companion to spend time with."

Yami winked and flashed his brilliant smile.

Yugi blushed, ducking his face away.

Yami sat up, stretching his arms. "Besides, I wouldn't dream of tearing those three apart. They'd just met and already, they're fast friends."

Neither could Yugi. Vulpix has had playmates in the past, but never for too long. They were always on the move, constantly journeying from place to place. He hated seeing her bond with whichever Pokémon came in contact only to watch her mope around for days about losing a friend. This time, those friends would be traveling along with her. She wouldn't be alone anymore.

And neither would he. "Alright, let's do it."

* * *

**TBC: *Information on any Pokémon is borrowed from the Generation IV, and V Generations.**


	3. New Bonds

**Author's Rant:** Please excuse mistakes. Its been a long day. Enjoy!

* * *

**New Bonds**

* * *

"Yami?"

"Yes, Yugi?"

". . . We've pasted by this same Oran Tree four times now."

"Have we? I hadn't noticed."

Yugi bit back his irritated groan and maintained his composure like a decent human being. He was almost certain that Jack was snickering from his muzzle because he knew that his master hadn't a clue as to where they were.

The first clue should've been when Yami stopped talking a couple of miles back.

The photographer was nothing short of a chatterbox, talking about a little bit of everything with a pinch of flirting every so often. When they strolled past the tree the second time, Yami hadn't mumbled another word nor made eye contact with Yugi once. And he had been staring worriedly at his roadmap, marker not touching a new checkpoint in the last two hours.

Yugi cleared his throat, which caused Yami to give him a flippant look, which was indeed a bit offish since he seemed to have a bit of an attitude, but Yugi was determined to figure out what the deal was. He wouldn't place the entire blame on Yami. Yugi should've paid closer mind to their surrounding area, but he'd been too caught up with watching Lady's graceful prance, Jack's powerful stride and keeping Vulpix from dancing off behind Lady whenever she disappeared in the brush.

"Maybe if we turned right down this path instead of taking the same left turn—"

"We already went that way," Yami said simply, stretching the map in front of him as if the correct direction would eventually appear. "We should head straight North."

"But we've been heading North for an hour," Yugi softly argued. "If I remember correctly, there should be a stream near Route 22 that'll lead us to a town—"

"Yugi."

Yugi wasn't going to take being cut off too many more times. "Yes?"

Yami tilted in his chin in a way that left half his face to the late afternoon sun and gave him this eerie handsome glow. "Who has the map?"

Yugi blinked several times as if he had no idea what Yami was talking about.

"Come on, don't be shy. Who has the map? It's OK, we all know the answer."

That son of a . . . Yugi was so damn tempted to pounce right onto Yami's patronizing taunt, but knew better than to take live bait. Yami was irritated. Hell, so was Yugi. Picking a fight would only lead to further confusion and that was the last thing they needed.

"OK," Yugi started slowly, curving his arm tighter around Vulpix's middle. "I'll just have a look myself." He walked up to Yami and leaned over his shoulder. Geographic indentions were circled, great landmarks were labeled with stars and large green patches were titled with whichever forest it represented. However, at the dead top of the map . . . it didn't say Sinnoh . . .

The young Pokémon trainer smiled stiffly.

Not that Yugi wasn't enjoying the feel of Yami's breath teasing the curve of his ear, but . . . if he continued standing next to a man who was clearly reading the wrong map—he was likely to kill him. And then he had the absolute nerve to look sheepishly elsewhere with the bright blush on his face.

Yugi shook his head. "We're lost," he finally concluded for the entire party. "We're lost and we've been lost since we came into these woods because you're getting directions from a Unova Map. It's the middle of the day, we have no food for ourselves, let alone our Pokémon and because you refused to listen to reason, we're going to have to bunk out in the forest with a wild Electabuzz on the loose."

"We aren't lost," Yami sternly said.

"Then what are we?"

"We're, um, simply between where we _don't want_ to be and where we _want_ to be."

"Gah! I can't with you!" Yugi turned his back and started walking towards the same tree that marked their doom. Yami may want to stand about with his stupid profound refusal to accept their lost, but Yugi just didn't have the energy. Not only were his feet throbbing but his whole front shirt was sweat damp from Vulpix's fur, since it was set at a constant high temperature due to her excitement. He came up to the Oran Berry Tree and pressed his palm to it's side, waiting for the tense vibrations that usually came from the hives of Combee that liked to nest inside.

When he didn't feel any of the noticeable shivers against his hand, Yugi relaxed and slid his way to the grass. Vulpix squirmed until he gave in to her demand and she bounced away up to Lady, nuzzling her nose with the other Pokémon. Yugi blew out a tired sigh and stretched his legs, toeing off his shoes. Everything ached, everything was sore and gosh, he was sure thirsty. He'd have to remember to phone home for another pair of shoes, extra socks and water.

"Alright Jack, let's lay it down here," Yugi heard Yami say to his Mightyena. "Looks like we're gonna bunk it down for a while."

Yugi paused massaging his feet, pivoting his upper torso slight to the left and crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow over at his traveling companion. In all rights, Yami had absolutely none to stand there with this attitude. It was his bloody fault they were lost and here he was pissed because Yugi wanted a break?

And the big lug was seriously having a temper tantrum, loosely slinging his bag off his shoulder and dropping it next to Yugi's side of the tree and flopping down next to him without saying a word. His fingers tap danced over the screen of his PokéTech, meanwhile, making it his sworn duty to make sure Yugi knew how annoyed he was. Yugi rolled his eyes though and went back to treating his feet because if he wanted to babysit a baby, he'd catch a Togepi.

But as the heavy silence became more dense and prolonged, Yugi felt compelled to break the ice somewhat. They'd only been traveling partners for a day and here they were already irritated with one another. That wasn't the best way to cooperate and seeing as he was going to have to be the mature, Yugi swiveled his head around with a pleasant smile and opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

Yugi's lips buttoned shut. He blinked. He stared. Had his mouth really uttered that the same exact time Yami said it? Or was his dehydrated imagination getting the better of him? Yugi pulled a confused face, leaning forward just enough to see Yami's downcast grimace at the ground.

"Why?" the trainer asked.

Yami half grinned and folded his arms. "For taking out my frustrations on you. I should've paid more attention to our surroundings and here we are somewhere way off course."

"We couldn't have traveled that far from the route."

"At the rate we've been walking," Yami lifted his head to the clear sky and hellish glaring horizon, "and judging by the position of the sun, we've veered off a bit towards the east and have been heading that way for the last hour. I thought I could cut our time by cutting through the forest. . ." Here, Yami cupped his hands over his face and dragged them exasperatedly down his face. "But I hadn't realized I was reading the wrong map until thirty minutes ago. . ."

Yugi didn't think his eyes could get any wider if he tried. His lips thinned and he turned to take in the forestry, blend of grassy meadows and few spotted berry trees. "Well," he started softly, "at least we have some idea of where we are."

Yami peered up curiously. "And where's that?"

Yugi smiled. "Simply stuck between where we _don't want_ to be and where we _want_ to be."

Yami planted his hands on top of his heads, lightly shoving his shoulder against Yugi's. "Smartass," he snickered. He closed his eyes a while, breathing in, breathing out, absorbing the sweet scent in the air and the occasion rustle of their Pokémon nearby.

Yugi relaxed against the tree trunk, curling his knees up to his chest and crossing his arms over the knees. Well, for the time being they could rest their feet and collect their thoughts. There wasn't any danger around from what he could sense and there were plenty of berry trees around.

Actually, as he started to survey their surroundings, there were two or three thick berry trees pregnant with hand-sized berries. There were a variety of them growing in spaced intervals. Yugi sat up a bit, narrowing his eyes. He picked out a bunch of trees . . . there were more than three or four. He turned his head, silently counting ten, twelve, fourteen, wow, nineteen berry trees in full total.

Yugi paused and concentrated on one particular tree about twenty feet to his right. It was by far the most unique fruit tree he'd ever laid eyes on. There were bustles of bright auburn colored spheres that resembled the back of a Squirtle shell, and crooked brown stems protruding from the center top.

Yugi chewed his bottom lip as curiosity got the better of him. The eager explorer inside him was dying to discover what this new find was and before he knew it, he climbed up to his feet, dusted off his hands and lightly jogged towards the tree.

"Yugi?"

The trainer looked over his shoulder where Yami was peeping open a single eye. "Have you seen a tree like this?"

Yami cracked his mouth open to let out a yawn and shook his head, rubbing under his nose. "What tree?"

"This one."

"Hm," Yami blew out a tired sigh, forced himself up and started toward where Yugi stood. His red eyes drowsily focused in on where Yugi's finger pointed.

Yami tilted his head back and planted his hands on his hips. At first, he didn't notice anything suspicious. Then he took a closer look, picking out the oddly colored spheres. "Strange," he mumbled to himself and stepped closer to the tree. "This can't be right." He touched the base of the trunk, scouring where several thick roots erupted from the earth. His index finger trailed between the bumpy cracks until finding a deep crease and sticking his finger inside.

Yugi grimaced when Yami pressed the finger cross his lips and licked it clean. "What are you doing?" Yugi asked disgusted.

"This sap—ah, I thought so!" Yami exclaimed excitedly. "How strange to find one in this region?"

"What? Find what?"

"A Custap Berry Tree. It's not native to this region." To elaborate, Yami left Yugi's side and returned to his duffle bag. He kneeled down and began digging around through the contents until finding two separate cameras. Yami hurried back over with cameras in hand, casually pressing buttons on each one. "Here, have a look."

Yugi took one of the cameras and pressed his finger on the screen, slowly scrolling through pictures. He found two depicting the tree before him, only they were more rich the fruit and taller. That meant this one was young, barely a three or four years at the most. But as Yugi continued studying between the pictures, another important detail began to take root.

He looked up, than down, he looked to the left, than down at the camera. Yami had noticed at the same moment as he flicked through his photos.

"Well I'll be damned. None of these are indigenous to Sinnoh," Yami murmured, pivoting in place, and seeing all the trees through new eyes. "They're all Unova grown. All yearling stocks and," Yami shook his head. "This can't be right. Roseli's, Qualots and Kee Berries are mutated strands. Lanstats, Jacoba, and Starf, there's at least half a quarter dozen of these here . . . they're are illegal to grow outside of the Unova Jurisdiction."

Yugi gazed up at the spread of fruit trees. "Should we contact Officer Mai?"

"No," Yami stuffed his camera in one of his cargo pockets, "let's not jump to conclusions. The people who own these could be licensed Berry Farmers. Unova sometimes employs Sinnoh Natives to farm their crops here for experimentation growth with different soil . . . still," Yami glanced around at the trees again, "to have so many. Even for scientific study . . ."

Yugi felt the same way, especially after hearing all the details. He'd seen many berry trees through his journey from Kato. Not once had he ever come across such a dense variety of berry trees and then see them so, so healthily grown. They were in a sense, the lusher, brightly flushed fruit he'd ever seen in his life. Not even the pictures from the true berry trees in Unova could do these justice.

The shrubbery shook nearby. Seconds later, Lady emerged with a mewing Vulpix. Her brown paws were tucked under her muzzle, hind legs folded in and tails lazily swaying with the Lady's stride. Since joining the group, it seems Vulpix has taken a liking to returning to her master dirtier than she was prior.

Yugi slapped a hand over his eyes. "Not again," he groaned.

Lady gently laid Vulpix on the ground and nuzzled under her bottom to shoo her away. Vulpix came bounding toward Yugi and rubbed around his ankles, dancing about and wagging her tails in the air. Yugi squatted down and picked her up, keep her at arm's length and shook his head.

"You're never going to stay clean are you?"

Vulpix yipped and wiggled her paws.

Yugi chuckled. "Didn't think so."

Without warning, a deep, gurgling nose rumbled from Vulpix's middle. Yugi squared his shoulders and held out his little Pokémon. He could only shake his head. And she had the audacity to duck her head down and innocently blink at her master.

"Ha!" Yami laughed. "That's why Lady brought her back. Someone's hungry."

Yugi lowered Vulpix to stomach height and sighed to the sky. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with her." He shrugged and decided he'd just have to wash his clothes and hugged her to his chest. He shivered as the cold mud snuck through his shirt and gazed up at the tree. "Say, do you think they'd mind if we took a few?" he asked Yami.

"They shouldn't."

Lady delicately walked over to Yami's side and nuzzled under his arm, demanding a scratch behind her ears. He obliged her while signaling for Jack to come to him. When the Mightyena neared, he lowered to the ground and panted. Yami patted his head. "Do me a favor, pup. Make a quick scan of the area, see if you can find someone around. When you come back, I'll give you a special treat."

Mightyena yowled, pleased and shot off into the brush, heavy paws pounding like hammers into the dirt.

"He shouldn't take long," said Yami. "If he manages to find the owners, we'll just tell them our Pokémon needed the food. They'll understand."

Yugi hoped so. He held a hand under Vulpix's bottom and touched where his stomach was. He could use a bite himself. They hadn't eaten a thing since last night. A bowl of berries can only carry you so far and they had to throw away the caught fish because it'd spoiled.

That settled it then. Like Yami said, if the owners were upset, Yugi would think of a way to pay them back or hope they were understanding and allow the group to have a small share for their journey.

Mightyena came ambled back a few minutes later carrying a stick between his jaws, bushy tail fanning the air. He sat before Yami and laid the thick twig in Yami's open palm.

"Good boy." Yami ruffled Jack's shaggy head and gave the eager Pokémon a meat flavored Pokécube. As the proud Mightyena took his place by his master's side, Yami clasped the beast's long back hair and combed his fingers through it. "That settles it. A stick says no, a rock says yes."

Yugi studied Jack's smug expression. He'd have to remember to ask Yami how he trained Jack to do that. Looking between the three, Yugi smiled in spite of the tiny jealousy towards Yami skill. He proved to be an excellent trainer despite being a photographer.

Yugi moved to the edge of the tree, circling the base slowly as he touched around for a leverage point. Patting in the same position twice, he nodded and kissed Vulpix's head—absentmindedly forgetting the bits of dirt clinging to her fur and spat it out. He placed her on the ground and tapped her nose.

"Stay put."

She whimpered and gently pawed at his ankle. Yugi looked at her with raised eyebrows and could've popped his own forehead for forgetting. Vulpix was still shaky about trees, probably due to the Electabuzz attack. Yugi rubbed between her ears to reassure her.

"I'll be back, baby."

Vulpix bumped her head into his palm still uneasy. Yugi exhaled softly. She's going to be difficult.

"Yami!"

He was smiling, enjoying Yugi's dilemma. "Want me to get her?"

"Could you?" Yugi gestured towards Vulpix.

Yami snickered behind his hand. He thumped Lady's ear once and the graceful Liepard was trotting towards the young Vulpix. While Vulpix became distracted with Liepard's teasing tail, Yugi used the opportunity to slightly bend his knees and leap upward, reaching for the closest tree branch. Vulpix was whining in seconds, clawing at the tree bark, yipping for Yugi to come down and nearly beside herself with crying.

"I'll be right down, baby, I promise!" Yugi assured through strained teeth as he hiked himself higher. It took some extra arm strength to haul his weight up and over a sturdy tree branch. Yugi saddled it and inch wormed to the center. The entire canopy was so thick, Yugi couldn't see the sky through the branches.

Yami appeared near the base. "Careful," he warned. "Moss collects on the branches the higher you go."

"I don't plan to go further than this. Do we have anything big enough to hold these?" Yugi searched through the packs of berries huddled in fours and fives, greedily dangling from the same branch as if none other existed. Each berry were the size of his hand, and the smallest ones didn't look ripe enough to try.

His stomach protested angrily for something to fill it. Yugi palmed over his belly, ignoring the raw ache and instead, focused on the task of figuring how he'd get these down.

"Here, just toss them down!" Yami called from down below.

Yugi glanced over to see the photographer holding his bag open. Yugi waved his consent and started plucking the thick berries off the stem. The outer texture, to Yugi's surprise didn't just resemble a Squirtle's shell, they were just as firm and tough.

"How do we open these?"

"Smash it against the tree!" Yami said.

Well, seemed simple enough. Yugi gathered four more of the tough berries and tossing them down before he picked one for himself. He rotated it in his hand, looking for perhaps a soft spot to crack it on. He discovered a sectioned bit with a curving line driving up the middle with more of an indention then the rest. Yugi scooted backwards until his back braced the branch and widened his legs.

With careful precision, Yugi slammed the berry against the branch. The shell shattered into bite size chunks. Liquid as thick as molasses, drooled from it's core, richly layering the air with an unbelievable sweetness.

Yugi brought a piece up to his nose, slowly savoring the aroma and the effects were drugging. The sweet scent was so potent he could very well lick the air and taste it on his tongue. His mouth watered and he could no longer stand the wait. The cushiony texture inside saturated his entire mouth with flavor.

Somewhere in his head, he knew he heard Yami chuckling, but was too occupied with wanting to absorb as much of this taste as he could.

"Not bad, huh?"

Yugi moaned, eyes fluttering. "It's unbelievable. I've never had something so sweet."

There was no way he could mistake the next sound from Yami's mouth, that low but smooth purr like a wind blowing over grass.

"I wouldn't mind hear that sound again."

Yugi caught his breath and lowered his eyes down despite knowing what he'd see. Yami's gaze was like an instant flame struck from the tail of a Charmander and as intense as the glow of an Umbreon's Rings. Yugi swallowed down the suddenly too big piece of fruit and wondered if Yami knew he had this quick effect on him.

Yami's smile became devious. "Has anyone ever told you that your blushes could flatter a Volbeat in the dark?"

Yugi's entire face inflamed and he threw down a hunk of his berry, hiding away from the photographer's laughing eyes.

"You're so sweet."

"Shut up, God, you're horrible." Yugi hid his face behind his hands, laughing shamelessly at Yami's teasing. He's such an impossible flirt; no filter what so ever. "Could you do something more productive?"

"I would but," Yami opened his arms and winked, "you're so far away. Come down here and keep me occupied."

Yugi peeked out between his fingers.

A different expression appeared on Yami's face, less flirtatious more soft and genuine. Yami shook his head at his own thoughts. "Silly me, I told myself I'd have a picture of that pretty face and I forgot." He surveyed the area, focused on the scenery and agreed with himself. "The scenery's perfect. Sit tight, Yugi. I want a picture of you up there!" Yami passed out the berries to the Pokémon before jogging back to where their bags were.

Yugi decided there was no harm in it and went back to eating his snack. A few seconds into taking the final bite, Yugi became aware of something wrong when he picked up on a subtle vibration streaming through the branch between his thighs. Yugi tightened his grip around the tree branch, as the stuttering continued to rattle the tree from root to leaf.

"Whoa!" One good shake almost knocked Yugi from his perch. Leaves spilled in bunches, as the rumbling went on. "Yami? Yami!—Vulpix?!"

He didn't see or hear any of them. That had Yugi worried, but his mind was spit between the world bringing him down or his friends being in harm's way. He had no idea what to do as the rattling grew louder.

A herd of stampeding Tauros? Rapidash? Milktank? Even in the middle of the forest, Yugi wouldn't put it past a herd to come racing through the woods. Yugi grabbed on tighter and swung his legs over the edge, so to hug the tree trunk.

"Yami?!" Yugi cried out over the chaos. He strained to hear a sound or signal, anything to let him know they were OK.

It came in a soft whimper, but not from below. Yugi's ear was pressed deep into the trunk and as he held on for dear life, the sound of the quivering whine intensified. What on earth could that be—was something stuck inside the tree?

Yugi pressed closer, listening to pinpoint the origin. His hand fondled where it curved until he felt a edged off grove, caving into the trunk. A small frown marred over Yugi's forehead as his fingers timidly grazed the creature inside.

The tree creaked, splinters jagging up the sides. Yugi patted his hand on the furry ball and clamped down. A sharp pain locked into his palm, grounding like pin needles. Yugi didn't have time to think about it and snatched it out. Without looking at whatever the small being was embraced it to his chest. The branch loudly crackled and popped. They couldn't stay here. Yugi glanced down, judging the distance from here to the ground.

His perch wobbled. There's no time. Yugi sucked in hard, curled his arm around the small being, tight as a molded iron. Don't think, only act. Wasting time, less time to save. Yugi aligned with the edge of the limb and closed his eyes. The furry thing nuzzled into his shirt, paws clutching for dear life.

The tree vowed to throw Yugi off if he didn't make the leap now. He sucked in and went over right as the branch snapped from its support. The fall was short, a sharpness jolting up the pads of his feet. Yugi steadied himself on the . . . not so surprisingly shaking ground.

Yugi touched the tree. It'd stopped shaking as well. Yugi could have sworn the entire world was ready to crack. Now, everything was balanced, perfectly at peace. Yugi's shoulders rose and fell as he crumbled to the ground.

"Mmm."

Oh, right. Yugi lifted his chin up. "It's OK," he whispered to the little Pokémon. "I won't hurt you."

He held it out to get a better look.

What he risked his life for was so well worth the effort.

The creature, this terribly young being was a small, royal blue furred, canine Pokémon. It's legs and upper torso were jet black, a shiny shimmer in the sun with a blue tail, and a gold neck collar and floppy black appendages on the side of its head. Bony round bumps ejected from the backs of its forepaws. And then there was its face, a mysterious black patterned mask stretched across it's crimson eyes.

Just look at that. A Riolu in the middle of a place like this? And oh so young, maybe five months old.

Yugi softly beamed at the young one's curious glare. "Look at you. You're so cute."

At first, it didn't move or attempt to escape. It faced Yugi head on, tail lazily swaying.

"Hello, little guy." Or was it a girl? Yugi raised the Riolu up higher to inspect its genitals. "Ah, excuse me," he smiled. "Little lady." He lowered her to eye level. Still no change in expression, she merely carried on with her own assessment.

Yugi tucked the Riolu in the crook of his arm and lightly rocked back and forth.

"I wonder if you have a trainer," Yugi wondered aloud, circling in place as if the answer would sprout from the bushes. What was it doing hiding in the tree, and more importantly what'd caused the tree to shake like that?

"Mmmm."

Yugi glanced down. "What's wrong?"

Riolu was digging a small paw into her eye and scrunching up her muzzle as if she couldn't decide on whether she smelled something or not. Her black lumps lowered and rose, but as Yugi watched, they stood straight out and glowed a gold so radiant that it hurt Yugi's eyes.

Riolu softly peeped, nuzzling the side of her face where she rubbed profusely at her eye. Then she looked up and studied Yugi and her bright glow faded to a slight shimmer. Yugi had no idea what that meant, because this was the first time he'd ever been so close to a Riolu before to determine whether the glow had something to do with her emotions. He knew of their ability to sense auras. Beyond that, nothing more.

"Mmm." Riolu distressingly squirmed.

"Let me see," Yugi leaned forwards so as to get a closer look to as to what was bothering her so much. "Is it your eye?"

"_Eye." _

Yugi blinked. He resisted the heighten fright in his mind because that voice was so crystal clear, so sweet and . . . close. His hand came up to touch near his ear when the voice echoed just as pleasantly sweet and light.

"_Eye."_ Riolu held her paw over her eye, giving Yugi an impatient glare as much to say why he was just standing there. _ "Eye." _

Yugi winched. That time it pounded with extra earnest. Still, he needed a few moments to adjust to the fact that the voice in his head was coming from this sweet faced Riolu.

Yugi cleared his throat as he gently pried Riolu's paw from her eye. "Lemme see."

Riolu sneered. Yugi snatched his hand back. He'd had a feel of those baby teeth.

"_Eye."_

Yugi pursed his lips. "Don't bite. You have to trust me."

Riolu skeptically narrowed her eyes. Somewhere in her mind she must've decided he was worth a shot because her paw lowered, but not too far.

"Trust me," Yugi repeated patiently. "I won't hurt you."

Riolu frowned the best she could with a squinty, watery eye and good eye. She had a tough time keeping that one open. A single drop of liquid was trailing from under the eyelid, streaking down Riolu's cheek. It was just a reaction from having something foreign in her eye, Yugi knew that, but he found himself transfixed for a brief moment, watching that tear slide over Riolu's furry cheek.

"Tip your head up," he ordered quietly, his hand hovering underneath her chin, not quite daring to touch her just yet. "I'll take a look."

She bravely lifted her head, and looked up at him. Riolu's injured eye slid open, slightly reddened and moist with the promise of more tears. Such a courage little thing, she was. The stretch of black around her eyes were prickled with moisture.

Yugi reflected on how best to look, but as he slid his thumb across her lower eyelid, Riolu's cheek slightly tensed. Yugi hummed in sympathy when he spied the foreign object. "Relax," he mumbled, as thought the tiniest move would dislodge it. "There's a bit of wood there. I can see it."

"_Get, get."_ Riolu whimpered brokenly in his mind, reflexively trying to blink. _"Get."_

Yugi nodded, gently placing his thumb against her cheek to hold her steady and using his index to widen the eyelids. "I can't use my hand. I'm gonna have to blow in your eye," he warned.

_"Get," _she demanded, muzzle compressed into a taut line, clearly unhappy with the situation.

"Trust me," Yugi said without thinking, leaning in until his lips was mere inches from Riolu's, seeking out the best way to remove the pointy splinter, laying thick and dark against the irritated white of her eye. "Don't move." With a quick inhale, Yugi blew where the bed of his thumb held down the eyelid, and caught the bit of wood on a tear droplet. "There, all better now."

Riolu sagged against his chest in relief, letting out a long breath.

"See?" Yugi held it out.

Riolu rubbed the heel of her paw over her eye and when she saw it, sniffed the offensive debris before snorting it out of Yugi's hand. By the time she fully worked her eye open, all traces of redness gone.

Yugi wondered what was to happen now that she felt better.

"Yugi!"

_Well it's about time_, Yugi thought pivoting to see Yami breaking through the wood line with Vulpix, Lady and Jack in tow and a vine of fish hauled over his shoulder.

Riolu sunk into Yugi's arm much to his surprise. Did she already trust him?

"Sorry about leaving. I had my camera, but then, I saw these gorgeous Cherrim and Cherubi near a river. It would've been criminal to let that picture go, and well, that lead to these. Oh?" Yami exclaimed suddenly noticing the little bundle in Yugi's arms. "My, my and who is this little one?"

"I found her in the tree."

Yami slung the fish over Jack's back and approached with his hand stretched out, fingers fanned. "What a lovely coat. She must be owned."

Riolu tensed. Yugi scratched his fingers over her ears. Her muzzle turned upward and pressed it to Yami's palm. Her head rapidly shook and whirled around to smash her entire face into Yugi's chest.

"Easy, honey, he won't hurt you—"

Yami's hand descended on top. Riolu shrieked, paws and legs thrashing about. That strange glow stirred from her body, warm and pulsating. Before Yami knew what hit him, he was blinking up at Yugi, hanging upside down. Riolu'e eyes shimmered a blazing blue, front paws outstretched and concentrated.

"Whoa!" Yami went higher and started to laugh out loud. "Amazing! That's some psychic strength."

Jack barked, rising up to his hind legs.

"Easy, boy, I'm fine. She's just scared. You can trust me, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you."

Riolu growled.

"Riolu, he's a friend," Yugi insisted. "Could you bring him down, please?"

"_Friend?"_ Riolu blinked up to Yugi before lowering her paws.

Yami landed next to Yugi's side, straightening out his ruffled clothes. "What a ride. To have psychic strength at such a young age? She can't be wild."

"Indeed not," said a voice as low as distant thunder. "She's mine."

Yugi offered a friendly grin toward the stranger, but it fell like a sag of concrete and his eyebrows went beyond his hairline. The man approaching was extremely attractive. He had spiky styled hair like a spread of wild fire on a spit that was mostly tamed by a black sweatband. He had on a pair of soggy red paint stained sweat pants, no shoes, no shirt. Water glistened like pearls on his maple colored skin, dribbling down his face, the sides of his strong-looking neck, down a chest carved like a puzzle and thick muscular arms. And his eyes were a deep magenta, like the flowing juices from a ripen Bluk Berry.

Yugi had to pull his gaze away before he was caught gawking at those full lips and lack of better terms, flawlessly rippling muscles, supporting two huge baskets of caught fish.

"It's finally happened," Yami whispered next to Yugi. "God has descended from the clouds first as my angel Yugi and now he shows himself in rare form. Come at me, I'm ready for this blessing."

Yugi snapped out of his mental block long enough to pop Yami in the back of the head. "Really, this isn't the time."

Yami sheepishly grinned, scratching behind his head.

"Who are you?" The stranger called out. "This is private property."

"Ah, are you the owner of this Berry Orchard?"

"I am. My family owns this one and the one in Unova." The strange paused a few feet away from Yugi, eyes never leaving the Riolu in his arms. "How did you come across Ria?"

"Ria. . . Oh, well, I found her in the tree. Umm, it started shaking," explained Yugi. "I didn't want her hurt so I grabbed her and well, she had this stick in her eye—"

"_Eye."_

The stranger sucked in so sharply, Yugi's own lungs felt constricted.

A sigh was heard, and the stranger stalked forward, holding out his hand. His lips were draw tight across his face. "Atem Raja, Pokémon Breeder."

Yugi took the offered hand. "Yugi Muto from Domino Town, a Pokemon Trainer."

"And I'm Yami Fujimoto," Yami swept his arm across his chest and bowed. "Pokémon Photographer and appreciator of great beauty."

Atem cut his eyes away from Riolu and narrowed his gaze towards Yami. "Fujimoto. . . a Photographer are you?"

Yami winked. "And appreciator of great beauty."

"Right," Atem glanced down at the three Pokémon, Yami, Yugi and Riolu for the longest. He sighed through his nose and shook his head. "I can't believe this," he murmured under his breath before beckoning toward everyone. "You'll all come with me to my Day Care. There's an issue to be address."

"Issue?" Yugi repeated. "What sort of issue? If you mean the berries we ate, we only took what we needed, but we can pay you back—"

"No," Atem shook his head again and pointed. "Money cannot do what's been done. You owe my Pokémon an explanation.

"What explanation?"

Atem's eyes ignited like a flame. "My Lucario will likely want to know why its sister has bonded with you."

* * *

**TBC: Now we enter into the drama and fun. ^_^**


	4. Reprieve

**Author's Rant:** My apologies for a long wait and please excuse the mistakes. I'll proofread later. Enjoy!

* * *

**Reprieve**

* * *

This guy was pretty stiff for someone with a face that handsome. Yugi grimaced at yet another sour glare thrown his way when he opened his mouth to attempt a casual conversation. During the quiet walk, he'd tried several times to dispel the tension that was obviously his fault, but whenever he gave it a go he'd receive a look so lethal from Atem, that the words stayed paralyzed in Yugi's throat. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he was being made Public Enemy Number One.

He helped a Riolu, mind you, it's not his Riolu, and she deciding to bond with him, wasn't his fault. What was he supposed to do, just let her suffer? Atem should be grateful, but no, he's too busy clenching that damn stick up his ass.

Yugi frowned back this time, refusing to submit to the glare and stubbornly snapped his head away with a noisy '_hmmp_'.

Fine, if being civil is out of the question, he won't waste his time being polite either. The nerve; being so rude for no plausible reason. Well, Yugi just hoped the guy didn't plan on needing him for anything because Yugi would surely not do it.

"Hmmp, someone's got a stick up his ass," Yugi heard Yami whisper.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. What did we do to deserve that attitude?"

"Besides barge in on his property—"

"—an honest mistake."

"Steal his berries—"

"—we only took what we needed."

"You stole his Pokémon—"

"—I did not _steal_ his anything," Yugi audibly said just so the entire party is clear on exactly displeased he is of being accused of such a thing. Atem glared over his shoulder again. Yugi cocked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "It's true!" he insisted to the dark skinned breeder before Atem faced forward, continuing to lead the way.

Yami choked back a laugh.

Yugi pounced. "I don't see a bit of this funny. I'm clearly the victim of false accusations."

"Calm down." Yami touched Yugi's shoulder, giving a light squeeze. "We'll explain ourselves as soon as we reach our destination. You can't blame the guy for being a tad upset. He's probably been looking for little Ria for a while. If I've taken care of her, raised her and trained her, I'd be pretty upset if she decided to go with a complete stranger. Wouldn't you if Pixie abandoned you for someone else?"

Well, when put like that. . . Yugi hadn't really given it much thought. He would most certainly be peeved if Vulpix started a bond with someone else and decided to ditch the person who'd bathed her, played with her, feed her, read her bedtime stories, plucked the thorns from her fur, and gave her everything she ever wanted—oh he'd better stop now before he worked himself into a tizzy.

Back to Atem. Regardless of how bad the situation may look, that doesn't excuse his lack of common courtesy. Yugi had apologized five times since they started their trip to Atem's Day Care and not once had the breeder acknowledged the effort Yugi was using to try and mend the already broken bridge between them.

"Isn't there a way to reverse a Riolu's bond?" Yugi questioned Yami as they walked under a canopy of trees.

Yami shook his head. "Once a Riolu forges a bond, it's for life. But it goes without saying, Yugi. Riolu don't choose who they want to spend their lives with at random. If they find the aura around someone's heart to untainted, the urge to grow close to that person is strong and even stronger if the Riolu is young."

"I hadn't intended for this to happen," Yugi solemnly swore. "It just, ya know, happened. I couldn't stand seeing her look so helpless. Wouldn't you have done the same?"

"Without a doubt."

Yugi nodded, feeling moderately better knowing his intentions weren't viewed as wrong by everyone. His arms fastened around Ria's middle.

She'd fallen asleep along the trip, occasionally sinking her muzzle into Yugi's shirt and grappling with her paws for physical insurance that he was still there. Yugi softly smiled. Look at her, what a thief. She'd already stolen a piece of his heart. How could he think to give her back, even though giving her up to make amends would be tough.

But it was the right thing to do.

Yugi tenderly ran his fingers over her black appendages with lowered eyelids and Vulpix bumped her curly head against ankle to remind him that he still had one other Pokémon to shower with attention.

Shortly taken back, having nearly stumbled over a stone, Yugi found himself having to widen his stride when Vulpix began to whimper and weave herself between his ankles. He stopped and bent over to pat her head. Vulpix cuddled into his palm, licking and nosing at the scent he always gave off.

"I'm sorry, honey," he said and lowered himself further. "I hadn't introduced you. She's sleeping now, but this is Ria." Vulpix moved into the gap of Yugi's thighs, bumping her nose against the blue bundle. He was proud of her curious nature taking place instead of the territory jealousy that Vulpix were known to possess towards Pokémon of the same gender.

Yugi saw the moment when Riolu's muzzle parted and she released a long yawn, eyelids fluttering open. Her head swiveled to the side, red eyes falling right onto emerald green. Vulpix and Ria simultaneously leaned forward, sniffing, noses grazing at the tip. Yugi's ankles protested against the weighted strain when Vulpix propped herself front paws on his knee, but he dared not move. Sniffing was good, he supposed, but what these two took from the introductions, he didn't know.

Ria's eyes crinkled on the sides before she leaned backwards and grazed up at Yugi with her paw extended.

"_Her."_ Ria mentally demanded and paused expectantly, obviously waiting for someone to answer.

Vulpix yipped before Yugi could respond, waving her tails. She patted her paw on the end of Ria's foot. Ria rapidly blinked and began wriggling urgently in Yugi's arms to be let down.

"OK, OK," Yugi muttered quietly under his breath, hoping this didn't turn into a baby brawl. Vulpix and Ria were close to the same age, but Vulpix had battle experience. He didn't want a shuffle to break out between the two. Ria sniffed Vulpix again, and batted her nose with her paw.

"That's Vulpix," Yugi slowly said, and leaned forward to cup her and Ria's heads at once. "She's my Pokémon and my best friend. She'll be your friend too if you want."

"_Friend."_ Ria snorted and gave Yugi a tolerant look, as much to say let her be the judge of who is allowed to be my friend. Her eyes closed and the dark black appendages on her head lifted, glowing an eerie gold. She extended her paws, concentration rushing off in small gusts. Yugi panicked, ready to interfere when it took Yugi a moment to realize that Vulpix, despite her well-tuned instincts wasn't worried and simply stayed put while the humming light encircled her like a halo. _"Friend,"_ Ria said with finality, the glow dimming to a faint glitter. She held out her paw and Vulpix pressed her own against it. She yipped once and Ria nodded. _"My friend."_

Yugi sighed, relieved. That scared him for a minute. He thought there was going to be another psychic episode like with Yami, but it looks like Ria was willing to accept anyone as a friend as long as Yugi trusted them.

"_Up." _Ria raised her paws out, blankly waiting.

Yugi chuckled. "Alright, alright, so bossy." He picked Ria up under her arms and tucked her in the crook of his arm.

"_Vulpix,"_ she said, angling her paw toward the ground_. "Up too."_

"Both of you?"

Vulpix barked, spun in a circle and leapt up high enough for Yugi to catch her in midair. She settled on his shoulder, curling her tails around his neck. He stood, feeling outmatched.

"Fine, use me for a bus," he mused.

"Are you done?"

That sharp injection destroyed whatever happy-go-lucky moment Yugi formed with the girls. He climbed to his feet, and turned a pout towards Atem who made show of tapping his foot and supporting the large woven baskets on his hefty shoulders. Yugi almost fell victim to those bulging brown muscles and sweat tracing over the swelled pecs until he found Atem's face and remembered exactly why he couldn't stand him.

"You could've gone ahead," Yugi's voice was low and damn near a growl.

"And leave you to harvest the rest of my orchard? Not likely."

Yugi's face grew hot from anger and the embarrassing red coating his cheeks. "I didn't steal your berries!"

Atem snorted like an unstable Tauros and pivoted on his heel, stomping back on the path. Yugi chewed down on his bottom lip to keep from lashing out. They hadn't even gotten that fair ahead for Atem to be so damn pushy. God, give him the patience, not the strength to deal with this man because he got the strength he'd likely use it to stuff the jerk in a ditch.

"Come on ladies," Yugi adjusted the girls into better spots, "before he has a heat stroke."

He noticed Yami walking up ahead with Jack and Lady flanking his sides. Yami had front row seats to the exchange. Yugi could see the laughter in his cheekbones from back here and Jack's wagging tail was doing little to disguise him sensing his master's mirth. Yugi sighed through his nose once more and looked up through the small holes letting sunshine through as he sped up his pace.

Not even Atem's sour mood could ruin a perfect day like this, all shiny and glorious. The ground beneath his feet hardened, becoming gritty. His footsteps crunched into layers of auburn and fawn shaded gravel, spread six feet wide and winding down a widening path. The trees slowly seemed to become more distant on the sides as if they were pushed to the edge with bare hands. More sunshine poured over them as Yugi's ears brimmed with cherubic twitters and cries in the grass and upper canopies.

The sign ahead, swinging on silver chain links attached to a wooden entry fence, bookended with grey stone pillars, read: _**Raja Family Daycare**_

A six foot wooden fence hooked around an open valley—to Yugi's estimate about fifty acres—covered in a trimmed grassy meadow. If the field of blue, white and lavender blossoms painting the landscape didn't have Yugi's eyes popping, the overwhelming population of Pokémon surely did.

Yugi's eyes grew enormous as Atem pushed open the gate with one hand and guided them inside. There were hundreds of different species of Pokémon ranging from all types, breeds, genders and abilities. Most weren't native to this region, yet somehow Atem's family had managed to way to manipulate the landscape so that the creatures didn't mind the difference. There was plenty of room to roam, enough space to run openly and loads of active Pokémon.

"Does your family take care of all of these Pokémon?" Yugi whispered in awe. There were just so many. Arboks and Ekans sat loosely woven around tree branches. Herds of Rhyhorns and Rhydons, grazed quietly in a field next to some Rapidash and Tauros herds. Crowds of fluffy Mareep and Flaaffy skimmed over the bits of grass through the fence gaps as Milktanks loudly moo'ed and noisily resounded amongst each other.

Off in the distance was a huge lake, like shimmering stardust beneath the sun, with numerous water type Pokémon settled along the shoreline or swimming and frolicking in the water. Yugi immediately whipped out his Pokédex and started scanning around at the difference species, frantic to collect as much information as possible. Many he'd only seen in his textbooks or heard stories about, but to see them up close and looking every bit as detailed as he'd been told, it just, wow, sent shivers up his spine.

Yami startled him with his deep laughter when he came to stand by his side. "Having fun?"

"I've never seen so many!" Yugi excitedly exclaimed. "My Grandpa and Professor Pegasus told me about them, but to see—wait, oh my god that's a whole herd of Blitzle and Zebstrika!" He ran over to the small herd to get a closer look.

Yugi pressed in the code to unlock his Pokédex, then there was an almost strange pressure on top of his head.

"I see someone's taken a liking to you Yugi," chuckled Yami. Yugi spun around to face Yami, round eyes quickly rolling up to see what had decided to use his head as a perch. Yami held out his hands and the little weight lifted away, singingly wistfully and landing in his hand.

Yugi melted. "Awww," he gushed. "It's so cute."

"Cot-cot-cottonee-nee." It was a small, white, circular Pokémon with puffy sections on the top of its head and its underside. Behind its head is a green, star shaped section. It has orange, oval-shaped eyes and furled, notched leaves on the sides of its body. His Pokédex couldn't get a read on it. Yami obliged by pulling his out and holding it over its head.

_*__**Cottonee:**__ T__he Cotton Puff Pokémon. Cottonee shoots cotton to distract its opponent when attacked, and travels around wherever the blowing wind carries it._

Yugi cupped his hands for the little cotton puff to float over in his palms. It landed softly in his grasp, lazily humming and swaying in the wind.

"It's so soft and light," Yugi brought to it up to his cheek. "Its so cute. I love you already! Isn't it cute, Vulpix?"

Vulpix's nose twitched before she happily barked her agreement.

Yugi whipped out a Pokéball from his belt loop, pressing the white activation button. "I gotta catch it!"

"Hold your Ponyta, kiddo," Yami said to him, voice stern. "That's why we're in the predicament we're in now. The last thing you need to do is go about collecting more Pokémon that possibly belong to someone else."

_Oh. Right._ He'd already forgotten. Yugi groaned his disappointment and gently returned the little Cottonee to the breeze to dance with the rest of the airborne plant types. He watched it disappear in the cluster of Hoppips, Skiploom, and Jumpluff.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Guess I got carried away."

Yami waved him off before using the same hand to settle on the small of Yugi's back, urging him forward. "Don't worry about it. Sure we're guests, but try to control the urge to hug every cute Pokémon in the vicinity."

Yugi signed, mournfully casting a final glance around the property before allowing himself to be lead away. "You're right."

Could Yami blame him for wanting to take it? Even more, could Yami blame Yugi for wanting to indulge the childish desire to run in the middle of the field and be near all of the new Pokémon?

The pair reached where Atem patiently waited for them on the porch of a two story wooden house. The twin baskets of fish were discarded to the side, and sometime while Yugi and Yami had been busy gazing at the Pokémon, Atem had retrieved and pulled on a red t-shirt. Yugi was grateful that that mild distraction that was Atem's heavily sculptured chest wasn't going to deter him from the important issue.

Yami felt differently, voicing his disappointment in a low whisper. "If only he realized how much more beneficial this conversation could be without his shirt."

Yugi shook his head. Honestly. Yami always succeeded in proving where his mind truly resided even after showing he had a wise and responsible side. Maybe only when the situation called for it Yami knew how to—

"Gah!" Yugi rose to the tips of his toes, gasping and eyes gigantic. He couldn't believe—did Yami just—the nerve! His hands quickly slapped Yami's hand away from his ass cheek as he cleared his throat and elbowed the idiot in his side for being such a damn pervert.

And then Yami had the audacity to stand there innocent and no sort of evidence on his face showing he was in the wrong.

"What? I wanted to know which was softer, you or the Cottonee." Yami leaned to inspect. "My, my, my, hmph, you know you could give that Cottonee a run for its money?"

"Would you stop, pervert?!" Yugi hissed, popping Yami's wandering hand. "Have some shame. He's right there in front of us!

"So? I'd touch him too if I didn't think he'd bite."

"Ahem, excuse me?" Atem's heavy voice sliced through the pair's discreet discussion.

The pair snapped to attention. Yugi took in Atem's folded arms and rigid stance with a slight eye roll. Yugi leaned into Yami's side after effectively smacking his hand from his ass again. Atem arched an eyebrow and flicked a glance behind them before switching to level his gaze on them. Atem opened his mouth to speak, and clapped it shut when a howl like strangled ghouls exploded over the area. Immediately following it in near sync was an equally bone shivering call, this one a long-winded shriek.

Vulpix shuddered and tucked herself under Yugi's chin. "It's OK honey, easy there." Yugi whispered. He reached up to pat her head, but wish he knew a way to settle the spike of nerves in his belly because he was a bit scared too. He'd never heard calls so fierce, especially in the middle of the day. All the Pokémon on the day had ceased all activities, turning toward the source of the noise.

No amount of coddling seemed to calm Vulpix's tremors. Yugi clenched his jaw. "What the hell is that?" He looked to Yami.

Yami stared toward the approaching creatures, his eyes darker and focused in a way that said he knew what was to come.

Leaping into view was a quadruped, canine black Pokémon with a long orange snout and an orange underbelly. It has small, almond shaped red eyes and a black nose. Around its neck is a white band with a small skull-shaped pendant on its throat. There are two white bands on each of its ankles, as well as three rib-like ridges on its back and a long, skinny tail with a triangular tip, whipping like a lasso in its wake. On top of its head was a pair of long, curved gray horns.

"What a beast!" Yami expressed with overwhelming enthusiasm. He slung his backpack off his shoulder and fished around quickly for his camera. As soon as he found it, he begin snapping shot after shot of the galloping Pokémon racing toward them. "Such a handsome devil. Never have I seen a Houndoom look so demonic! Those legs, that tail, those red eyes—my God!"

A Houndoom? Yugi pulled out his Pokédex.

_***Houndoom: **__The Dark Pokémon. The evolved form of Houndour. Houndoom's eerie howl is said to cause those who hear it to shudder in fear._

_No kidding. _No wonder Vulpix felt ready to bolt.

Another Pokémon suddenly jumped into view, sprinting alongside the Houndoom.

It too is a canine, quadruped Pokémon with a mainly blue, a spiky, yellow mane encircling its head and yellow tufts of fur on its haunches and around its front feet. It has a jagged upper jaw, piercing red eyes, and holes on either side of its head that seem to be its ears. Each of its paws has three claws. Its blue, spike-like tail is bent at a sharp angle, almost like a lightning rod.

_*****__**Manectric:**__The Discharge Pokémon. The evolved form of Electrike. Manectric has the ability to gather local electrical energy in its mane, and then discharge it, creating thunderclouds._

The second one Yugi recognized from the power plants in other towns. The two were bounding across the field straight toward them. Yugi braced himself, tightening his arm around Ria—wait, Ria? Yugi spun around looking at the ground, touching his other shoulder and peeking between his legs.

"Ria? Ria, Ria where are you?" He didn't see her anywhere. When had she disappeared? How? He could've sworn he'd had her when they entered the daycare. "Ria? Ria, where did you go? Yami, I can't find Ria!"

Yami pulled his eye away from the screen behind his camera long enough to shoot Yugi a cocked eyebrow before the news struck home. "She's missing? Didn't you just have her?"

"I thought I did! Oh, gosh, I don't know when she disappeared. She could be anywhere."

Atem's footsteps descending the wooden stairs stole Yugi's attention. He came forward with his arms still folded and his stride as straight as his back. "Calm down, I saw her wander off toward the edge of the field. She knows this area well. No doubt she's missed her brother and went to look for him."

The tension lifted off Yugi's shoulders. He pressed a hand over his heart to sooth the quick pounding. It kicked back into full gear when the two running Pokémon came nearer, growling low and baring their sharp fangs. Yugi took a step back, while Jack and Lady came to leapt out before them, hunched forward and fangs bared as well.

Atem stepped in between the growling creatures, facing the two new ones. "Settle down you two, they're our guests."

The Houndoom and Manectric obeyed, though the Houndoom took the longest to relax it's fangs at Lady. Yugi felt he could breathe easier knowing that the two weren't wild. "They're yours?"

"Indeed, or rather they belong to my entire family. Houndoom and Manectric are the guardians of the Pokémon within this fence. You two, show your manners and greet our newcomers."

The canine Pokémon rose up on all fours and stood on his left and right before bowing their heads.

"Impeccably obedient, well-mannered and I bet competitively trained," Yami said.

"Houndoom is, and Manetric used to be." Atem rubbed over Manectric's golden mane until the Pokémon contently nuzzled into the touch. "He's been in the family longer." Then Atem lowered his hand between Houndoom's horns and scratched at the base where the horns emerged from its skull. "Our Houndoom was born here about five years ago, as were most of the Pokémon on this property." Atem nodded his head towards Jack and Lady whom have yet to calm down from the earlier encounter. "Mind calling off your body guards?"

Yami chuckled and shrugged. "They spoil me. Easy you two. They're friendly." Jack snorted and Lady rudely flicked her tail in their faces before prancing behind Yami to groom herself.

"Hmph," Atem rolled his eyes. "Anyway, back to business. Until Ria returns with Lucario there's the matter of her ownership and payment for the berries to discuss"

Yugi paled. "Payment? I knew we had to reimburse, but you almost make it sound like they cost a fortune."

"They do."

Yugi gawked at Yami when he said that, eyes demanding him to elaborate.

"Custap Berries run an easy $20,000 for just one in Unova . . ."

Yugi felt sick, _really sick_. "But we're in Sinnoh."

"Right and because they're extremely rare in Sinnoh . . . their value is triple—whoa, don't faint." Yami seized Yugi's hand, just as he seemed to sway.

Yugi touched his forehead, suddenly dizzy. $60,000 for one berry? Good God, they ate five! Five! That's $300,000! A light whimper tickled Yugi's throat as he straightened, wobbling a bit. Where on earth were they going to get that kind of money on such short notice?

He used Yami's shoulder for support as he fanned his face cool. "I-I'm sorry. Sixty-thou—sixty- thou, oh God. I can't even. I mean, how on earth are we suppose to pay that back, Yami?"

Yami released an exasperated wind through his nose as he faced Atem and held up his hands. "Sorry, friend, but unfortunately you're looking at a couple of travelers who were merely looking for a way to feed our Pokémon. Our actions weren't malicious by any means. Could you find it in your heart of hearts to allow this incident to slide?"

Atem narrowed his eyes. "Custap berries take six months to fully mature. Plus the unfortunate loss of my prized Riolu, there's no way I can overlook this. I expect to be fully compensated."

"Well," Yami sighed and shook his head. "I knew it would eventually come to this. I had hoped to save this for a special occasion, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures."

Yugi's head snapped up so fast he heard a pop in the back of his neck, but ignored it in favor of blinking worriedly at Yami and looking at Atem's harden expression. Yami mirrored Yugi's gesture, then took two steps back from Yugi and one step toward Atem. His face was set in a stoic blank, mouth taut, and Yugi felt some stirring alarm as Yami lower his hands and gripped the end of his grey t-shirt . . .

Yugi blinked.

Redness flooded his face.

"Yami!" Yugi whipped around, covering his face. "Have you lost your mind?"

"What the devil is wrong with you?" Atem loudly bellowed.

Yami stopped mid lift, confused. "You wanted compensation. I'm doing what I need to to pay for our thievery." He continued where he left off.

"No, no, no!" Atem snatched Yami's shirt back down and shoved him away. "I mean cash, money! I don't want your body!"

"You sure? Hm, that's a pity." Yami adjusted his clothing and folded his arms. "Unless you can come up with a better idea, there's nothing else we have to offer. Neither of us has the money nor will we be able to get so much in such a short time." Yami caught Yugi's awestruck stare and said, "What?"

Yugi slapped his hands over his face, and kept them there. His face was impossibly feverish. He couldn't believe his bad luck. Why, why, why? Why of all the lunatics he had to be partnered with, it had to be this guy?

Atem cleared his throat, expression showing his discomfort with the earlier action. "If you don't have the money, you'll have to make up for it."

Yugi peeked through his fingers. "How so?"

"Help me around the Daycare for two weeks and I'll forget this whole ordeal ever happened." Atem unfolded his arms and thrust his hands in his pockets, coming forward. "In two weeks I return to Unova and the next caretaker will be here to take over. I could use the help and you could use the shelter and pay I'm sure."

"And. . . that's it? Just help take care of the Pokémon and you'll forgive us?"

"You'll help farm the orchard as well. This will take care of the cost of the berries. As for Ria, that's another story."

"Work? As in physical labor?" Yami groaned. "You sure my body isn't worth much? Listen, what if I told you Dark Types were my favorite—"

Atem's eyes narrowed.

Yugi panicked. "Erm, he's kidding. A little humor. Anyway, we accept. We'll take the offer!" Because goodness knows Yugi couldn't fathom any other way of getting off so easily. He could deal with the Riolu issue, but the cash part? Not.

"So," Yugi rubbed his hands together, "when do you want us to start?" he asked, ignoring Yami's miserable groan in the background.

"Tomorrow," Atem slowly drawled before giving a curt nod. "You've been out most of the day. Rest up first, take a tour of the daycare or whatever you wish. Most of my chores are finished for the day. And I see Ria finally returning with my Lucario."

"Ria?" Yugi spun around. Vulpix yelped and yelped, panting gleefully as she scanned the property for her new friend.

She and Yugi spotted Ria sprinting toward them, forepaws arched back and little legs tearing across the field behind a larger Pokémon that shared a great many of her features. That could be none other than the infamous Lucario Atem spoke of; Ria's older brother and whom she would resembled when she fully matured.

Though Yugi knew he is a bipedal Pokémon, he came bounding over the hill on all fours. His fur is predominantly blue and black lined, with noticeably short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, and a third on his chest. It has a long snout and ears. The fur around his upper torso is cream-colored and the blue fur on its thighs reminded Yugi of cargo shorts. Just as Ria has the two black appendages on the side of her head, the Lucario has four longer black appendages protruding from the back of his crown.

A shudder as bad as the one Houndoom caused pinched Yugi's emotions as thoughts of the Lucario's reaction to the news came to a head. Atem hadn't been pleased. How badly would Lucario take to the sudden ownership of his sister to a complete stranger? Yugi considered himself to be a fairly decent person. He wasn't perfect by any means, but he wouldn't mistreat Ria. If it came to her having to be his responsibility, then so be it. However, if they knew of a way to reverse the bond—though he wasn't entirely for the idea, being that he'd already become to the little Riolu—then that could lessen some of the tension between them.

Dread swam like a pool of aggravated Sharpedo in Yugi's belly when first Lucario slowed to an even pace toward Atem, but those knowing red eyes remained glued to Yugi. Yugi stared on back, gulping down a glop of nerves. Ria, oblivious to the exchange, raced at full speed toward Yugi until colliding into his legs and climbing her way up to plop down on his other shoulder. She smashed her fuzzy against Yugi's cheek, purring and yipping like a child rediscovering a parent.

Yugi reached out and tickled under her chin. "I'm happy to see you too," he said.

Ria clasped his hand between her paws and began lightly nipping at his fingertips and rubbing the wet ends over her nose. _"Mine,"_ she said in a mental link so loud and verbally joyously, even Yami felt the connection and her undying loyalty.

"_This is him then, my sister." _

The husky, deep voice resonated crystal clear amongst the small group. Lucario held up his paw right as Yugi gazed up to speak on Ria's behave. Blinding blues, golds and white lights outlined Lucario's body Not a word left his lips as ripples of psychic pulses vibrated in his bones, his veins and perhaps even deeper, scouring through the pits of his soul. Nothing was left unturned, unchecked or hidden as Yugi realized his life was being explored and he could see—no, he could _feel_ Lucario's emotions toward everything Yugi experienced.

In the beginning, there is anger, distrust and a powerful displeasure toward Yugi, a melting pot of negative aura. And as the images of his simple past from years ago, months ago, days ago, to now start to blend into the current present, those emotions changed. Yugi's defenses loosened bit by bit as Lucario's mental link strengthened and the suspicion wore away to relief and peace.

The pressurized aura fell away in fluttering throes until Yugi could move his limbs and think clearly again. He and Lucario met gazes once more, but Lucario's eyes lingered with a hint of satisfaction.

Lucario faced Atem and bowed his head. _"Nothing can be done, my master. But don't lose heart. My sister chose well." _

"Are you sure?" Atem asked.

"_Yes, I sense no malice in his aura. He'll take good care of her."_

Atem untucked his hands from his pockets, laying on top of Lucario's head. "If you're fine with this, than I suppose there's nothing more to be angry over." His lips tipped up on the corners, the first sign of kindness in him that Yami or Yugi have seen all day. "Well, that's that. Come along, I'll fix lunch. We can start over and get better acquainted.

Yugi relaxed. He liked this expression much better on the breeder. It looked good on him. "I'd like that." He cuddled his cheeks with Vulpix and Ria before trailing behind Atem into the farmhouse.

Yami dragged behind, kicking at the dirt. "Come on Jack, Lady. Damn, work."

Yugi giggled. Now who was laughing at who?

* * *

**TBC: Atem has two more Pokémon besides Houndoom and Manectric, but I'm unsure as to what one of them should be. Any suggestions? ^_^**


End file.
